In addition to dealing with the shock and confusion that women feel when they learn they have breast cancer, many newly-diagnosed patients must also cope with bladder problems.

City of Hope researchers asked nearly 50 women who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer if they suffered from bladder problems. Younger and older women alike often reported such bladder problems as frequent urination (65 percent), bladder leakage with physical activity (55 percent) and small amounts of bladder leakage (55 percent).

Some of the women also had urinary tract infections that they had not reported to a doctor.

“Many older women were not bringing up these problems with their doctor because they thought it was related to old age,” said Louise Wong, a City of Hope nurse practitioner in medical oncology and a study author who discussed the research at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Dec. 9. “We believe that breast cancer is causing the bladder problems because younger women reported having these problems as well.”

The next phase of the study will examine bladder problems among women receiving chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.